News

Milk production in the Toukounous dairy farm in Niger has more than doubled as a result of innovations provided by the West Africa Agriculture Productivity Program (WAAPP).
“Milk yield per cow has doubled since the start of the WAAPP project,” Prof. Moumouni Issa of both the Faculties of Science and Agronomy of the Abdou Moumouni University located in Niger’s capital, Niamey said.

In an extraordinary show of endorsement of agricultural research and the West Africa Agriculture Productivity Program (WAAPP), eight government ministers showed up Monday, November 12, 2018, for the opening ceremony of the annual gathering of WAAPP actors.

A fish smoking kiln from the Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR) is helping transform the lives of West Africans who depend on fishing for their livelihoods.
Comprised of a smoking chamber, a fan to distribute heat, a thermometer to control temperature, and a chimney to filter air, NIOMR’s fish smoking kiln reduces cooking and smoking time from four days to just four hours. The fish smoking kiln eliminates many challenges West African fisheries typically encounter with traditional smoking methods—including lack of control over the drying process, exposure to dirt and dust, insect infestation, exposure to contaminants, and low capacity.

If there was one wish by actors of the West Africa Agriculture Productivity Program (WAAPP) at the inception of the centers of excellence, it was to see them begin the process of creating the required collaboration and partnerships to catalyze the critical innovations and technologies to address the region’s priority crops.
After many years of substantial investments in both operations and infrastructure, the Dry Cereal Center of Excellence based in Senegal is now fully equipped thanks to WAAPP Senegal and driving the vital research work on millet, maize, sorghum and other cereals.

The geographical location of Senegal along the Sahelian belt of Africa means its agriculture is already facing the brunt of climate change. Experts argue that if urgent measures are not taken, small-scale farmers are likely to suffer the most.
Peanut ranks among Senegal’s top five largest export commodities with millions of small-scale farmers involved.

Yields barely lasted three months for rice-producing households of Ngoungoul, a village located about 250 Kilometers to the South of the capital, Dakar.
The conventional rice cultivation methods did not only require more water, seeds, and fertilizers, the harvest often fell short of expectation.
In Senegal as in most part of West Africa, rice is a major staple. Meaning, when yields are low, households have to resort mostly to imported rice to make up for the deficit.